Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The first review for The Tuner of Silences has just come in from our friends over at The Coffin Factory, and is it ever a hummer. "A phenomenal book," they say, and "a paragon of contemporary African literature":

Mia Couto is Mozambique’s premier writer, unrivaled in the Portuguese language, and, with the novels Sleepwalking Land and The Last Flight of the Flamingo, has achieved international praise for his use of magical realism in tackling the terrors of Mozambique’s colonial and civil wars. The Tuner of Silences is Couto’s masterful turn toward a more subtle and surreal story: an eleven-year-old’s attempt to reconstruct his family’s taboo history in the scarred emotional and geographical landscape of a post-colonial country torn by war, poverty, and disease.

The conclusion? The Tuner of Silences allows readers to experience "some of the most beautiful and moving prose being written today."

This just in from the East Coast of Canada (with more details to follow as they come available):
Clark Blaise, author of The Meagre Tarmac, will be reading in cities from St. John to St. John's this March, alongside a brief stint as writer-in-residence at St. Mary's University in Halifax.

If you're in the area, make sure to go have a listen.

7pm, Friday, March 1 - Ganong Theatre, UNB Saint John

7pm, Tuesday, March 5 - Atrium 101, St. Mary's University, Halifax (Clark will be writer-in-residence at SMU from Monday, March 4 - Friday, March 8)

Available at Biblioasis. Come check out our
new Freedom to Read Window display.

As you know it's Freedom to Read Week here in Windsor, and we at Biblioasis are delighted to be hosting Windsor's 2013 Freedom To Read Week celebration, which is happening this Thursday at Milk Coffee Bar. You're encouraged to come out, read a passage from your favourite banned or challenged book, listen, and join a discussion on the impact of censorship in Canada and abroad. (& for an excellent introduction to censorship and its relationship to writing, I highly recommend you check out the new interview that was just posted by the LPG with Liliana Heker.)

Even in what is a free country by world standards, and as the Canadian Book & Periodical Council observes, books and magazines are still banned at the border. Schools and libraries are regularly asked to remove books and magazines from their shelves. Free expression on the Internet is under attack. Few of these stories make headlines, but they affect the right of Canadians to decide for themselves what they choose to read.

Freedom to Read Week is an annual event organized by the BPC (and in the US by the American Library Association), which encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom as guaranteed under the Charter. We hope you'll join us. Thursday Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m., Milk. Open mic is first-come, first served.

Liliana Heker, who has just spoken about her
experience with censorship under the Argentine State
to Taryn Boyd of the LPG.

For a list of banned & challenged classics you can visit the BPC's Freedom to Read page here, or the ALA's banned books page here.

From under the stairs to the top of the rainforest:Anakana Schofield shortlisted for the Amazon.caFirst Novel Award

Well we thought it couldn't be done. The novel that flummoxed list after list of would-be awarding bodies. The novel whose exclusion from major prize nominations earned nation-wide grumblings, sighs, moanings, head-scratchings, bewildered exhalations. But now at long last: we have a winner! Or at least we could have one, as of April 24th. Anakana's in the running for the Amazon.ca first novel award with Pasha Malla, Scott Fotheringham, Marjorie Celona, and Kim Thúy.

“A first novel should be brash and ambitious, and announce the arrival of a new talent,” said head judge and Quill & Quire editor Stuart Woods today in a press release: “that quality is something this diverse group of books has in common.”

Damn skippy!

For more you can visit the Amazon.ca page or this write-up in The National Post. Heartfelt congratulations to Anakana from us all.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Hi folks! For those of you who are missing Ray's mustachioed presence here in Winsdor, a few mementos of his time. First, an interview on CBC Radio; next, a video of his session at the University. Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Day 8 of February Freebies brings you another title from our International Translation Series: Liliana Heker's The End of the Story. The most controversial novel of the Argentine Dirty War, The End of the Story sparked a media frenzy upon its publication in Spanish in 1996, and was castigated by the left for its warts-and-all portrayal of the revolutionary psyche.

Heker, who became known for her public correspondence with Cortázar throughout the war (1976-83), was vocal about her belief that writers have a responsibility to witness and report on state atrocity. With The End of the Story she leaves very few sights unseen: it's an uncomfortable but extraordinary book. If you're looking for an excellent freedom-to-read read, let this be it.

You know the drill. Visit www.facebook.com/biblioasis, like our Freebie status, share, enter, win. For more information on Heker click the link below.

Where has Book Spotting been, you ask? Why have you not received your irregular dose of well-designed book covers and rambling commentary lately? Have there been no beautiful books around to discuss?

Fear not, because Book Spotting is back in its fourth installment, and there are still plenty of wonderful covers crossing the desk here at Biblioasis every day. But absence makes for good cardio, or something to that end, right?

In case you missed the covers more than the rambling, I'll move on now to the pretty pictures:

Woes of the True Policeman by Roberto Bolaño

(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012)

These sort of hand-drawn, primarily typographic covers have been really catching my interest lately, as evident in a few of the designs I've been working on myself. Maybe it's because I recently was gifted a graphics tablet and getting used to it has me drawing in the style of a five-year-old, but this sort of low-fi aesthetic, combined with a sensible use of white space and a pop of colour really draws me in. I like that the "author of..." line seems added in like a marginal note (and its placement contributes to that as well), and the type itself is irregular enough that it avoids looking like an overly flattened "handwriting" typeface instead of actual handwriting. The matte finish of the cover adds to its understated charm.

Strap Hanger by Taras Grescoe

(Times Books, 2012)

Now, I know that gushing over the design of this book is nothing fresh. In fact, I've seen this one on multiple "best of" design blogs this year, but rightly so. I may be treading on old ground here, but this design deserves the credit. The subway map aesthetic is iconic. Bright colours, clean lines, circles, white space, clear text. I'm sure whole books can (and have?) been written on the design merits of subway maps. The designer here draws on that iconography and creates something equally clean, clear, colourful and striking that speaks to the topic of the book without entering the realm of the literal. I love the idea of borrowing a well-known aesthetic to represent a concept as opposed to going straight for an image or a photograph that can stand in for it.

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

(Balzer and Bray, 2012)

I thought it was time I talked about another book from our children's section, and this one is certainly deserving of some attention. Extra Yarn is one of the most beautifully illustrated and designed children's books I've seen in a long time. As the cover goes to show, the illustrations have a wonderful texture and depth about them, with the title taking on the look of knitting. The yarn, the animals, and the title all come together seamlessly (pun not really intended) with the snowy backdrop, and there's a flow through the loose strands of wool that draws the eye across each word and down to the author and illustrator information. The cover alone can't really do this one justice as the entire book has a really classic children's book feeling about it. It feels wholesome and warm like a wonderful hand-knit wooly sweater.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

(Vintage, 2013)

What really caught me about this book, beyond just the striking cover image (because there are striking images of striking faces on the covers of a lot of novels), was the texture and use of matte and gloss with the typography. It's a bit tricky to see in a photo, but the cover is matte with the exception of the glossy and bright chunky text of the title. This gives the book the impression of being behind a piece of foggy glass with small pockets of clarity. The typeface is thick and simple enough to lend itself to this sort of a treatment, and the subtlety of the colours means that the extra large text doesn't compete with the central text of the author's name. The touch of bright pink from where the lips cross the title, and having both eyes within the gloss segments gives the book a punch of colour and an intensity that wouldn't be there if the placement were different. This is one of those books that catches your eye on the shelf in the most literal way possible.

Only four for issue four, but keep your eyes on this space for more Book Spotting soon!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Today's February Freebie, we're proud to announce, is by the internationally bestselling Mia Couto of Mozambique. Don't know Mia Couto? Check out this essay on "Africanness" by him in The Guardian, this review of Sleepwalking Land in The New York Times, or the page about The Tuner of Silences on Biblioasis's International Translation Series website. And for those of you new to February Freebies, the explanation is below. A book a day for the whole month of February!

FEBRUARY FREEBIES AT BIBLIOASISBack in the good old days (er, okay, back in Victorian England), you might call an excellent book your fireside university. A book was all you needed to toast the soul on an otherwise cold, damp, drizzly, snow-plagued, slush-infested, toe-benumbing February evening. So in that spirit, we say: listen up! Warm your brain-pans! For the month of February, Monday through Fridays, Biblioasis will be offering a special Facebook-only contest.

Here’s how it works:

1. Like our Facebook page.
2. Keep an eye out for our status updates. Once a day, Biblioasis will post an announcement for that day’s February Freebie.
3. Like that status, and share it on your own feed. That’s all it takes to enter.
4. Each day we’ll select one name from all our entrants and mail them that day’s book, free of charge.

The freebie book will change daily, so if there's one title in particular you're itching for, make sure to check in regularly. Winners will be contacted via Facebook for their mailing addresses, and participants may enter as often as they like. Good luck and stay warm!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Happy Monday, folks! Here are a few bits and bytes to tide you through this (extremely blustery) February afternoon.

1. We're happy to announce that this Sunday we're having an informal celebration in honour of Black Moss Press here at the bookshop. 6 p.m. Join us as we raise our glasses to this legendary local institution and the authors that make it special. RSVP on Facebook today!

2. Ray and I made it back safely from the WDET studios this morning. As a little memento? The attached. Craig Fahle remains as awesome and impressive as ever (and in this picture Ray may or may not be reading an article about Girls.) You can listen to the episode, called "Stories of the Underground Railroad," online here.

3. We've had a new interview with Alexander MacLeod go up on the Numéro Cinq blog. Check out Benjamin Woodard's questions on physicality, layering, research, construction, and more. Plus there's that funny picture of Alex knee-deep in what I'm fairly certain is a septic tank.

4. Today's February Freebie, in celebration of the Black Moss event on Sunday night, is Marty Gervais' Ghost Road and Other Forgotten Stories of Windsor. Visit our FB page, like that status update, share it, enter, and win!

Friday, February 08, 2013

An update from across the street at Facebook: we're having great success getting people to take our free books. Surprise surprise. Ain't that a thing? So far we've given away David, Love Poems, Moody Food, and Malarky. And today? (Er, and Saturday and Sunday?) ... here's what you'll see if you visit our page. Like the page. Love it. You want more of it. Make it hurt, book people, make it hurt!

Attack of the Free Book Facebook Messages! No, wait. It's Attack of the ... Conjunction Arachnids? That's right, Day 5 of February Freebies is bringing you the Wonderful, Marvellous, Glorious Douglas Glover, whose Attack of the Copula Spiders was a Globe & Mail Best Book for 2012, and who was called "a master of narrative structure" by none other than the Wall Street Journal.

You know the drill: visit the Biblioasis FB page, like AND share this status update, and be entered to win a copy of Copula Spiders today. We’re giving away a title a day for the whole month of February. Like, enter, share win! For details visit the Thirsty blog.

(Okay, so we're not giving away books on the weekends. This is it till Monday. So start clicking, people! This is the book to share on Facebook if ever there was. Post this on the wall of anyone whose egregious online grammar drives you nuts.)

Morning, folks, and happy Friday. A few announcements for our Windsor-area friends:

One: that today is the first day of the Artists of Colour Exhibit over at MacKenzie Hall, which has been happening annually for some time & is usually a pretty good show. Ray Robertson is speaking there tomorrow from 1-2 but I wanted to post the invitation to their opening & the general exhibit poster. See below.

Two: Ray's talking the shrink talk (okay, talking about depression, philosophy, and the writing life) at the university on Tuesday. Katzmann Lounge, Vanier Hall, 2 PM.

Three: It's very snowy out. Shovel, people. For the love of Wesley.

Four: For those of you who are as in awe of Craig Fahle as I am, brace yourselves for a real thrill. On Monday morning Ray and I are barrelling through the tunnel toward midtown Detroit, where we'll cross for the very first time through the holy doors of WDET. (Alex MacLeod was on there a few years ago but it's my first time in the building. And gosh, if I may say, am I excited.) This is the man who back in Sept. 2011 cancelled half an hour of regularly scheduled programming to excoriate the media for not raising an ENORMOUS STINK when Michele Bachmann claimed, on national television, that the HPV vaccine was causing mental retardation. Fahle lined up doctors and experts to debunk her assertion and told every single one of his silent colleagues that, when the media fails to acknowledge their moral obligation to correct lies perpetuated by people of influence, that they're in violation of a public trust. And he was spitting mad. Hoo hoo! Glorious.

(Ray: I don't think he's going to get that mad at you.)

(I don't think.)

Anyhow! Check out the Artists of Colour exhibit when you have a chance. Tune in to WDET (101.9 FM) on Monday at 10:30 to hear Ray along with underground railroad historian Kimberly Simmons. And if you're interested in more Detroit-area black history events, there's a comprehensive calendar online at blacdetroit.com.

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

1. The winner of our first February Freebie was Ariel Gordon.
2. Our second February Freebie is Jaime Sabines' Love Poems. Enter now!
3. Tonight (yes tonight!) Ray Robertson is reading from David at Biblioasis. Join the Department of English and the Northstar Cultural Community Centre here at the store. Doors at 7.

Monday, February 04, 2013

Back in the good old days (er, okay, back in Victorian England), you might call an excellent book your fireside university. A book was all you needed to toast the soul on an otherwise cold, damp, drizzly, snow-plagued, slush-infested, toe-benumbing February evening. So in that spirit, we say: listen up! Warm your brain-pans! For the month of February, Monday through Fridays, Biblioasis will be offering a special Facebook-only contest.

Here’s how it works:

1. Like our Facebook page.
2. Keep an eye out for our status updates. Once a day, Biblioasis will post an announcement for that day’s February Freebie.
3. Like that status, and share it on your own feed. That’s all it takes to enter.
4. Each day we’ll select one name from all our entrants and mail them that day’s book, free of charge.

The freebie book will change daily, so if there's one title in particular you're itching for, make sure to check in regularly. Winners will be contacted via Facebook for their mailing addresses, and participants may enter as often as they like. Good luck and stay warm!

Morning, folks, and happy Monday. Always nice to kick off the week with a thoughtful reading—especially one full of difficult-to-spell words. This just in from The LA Review on Psychology and Other Stories. We've got lots more stuff coming up for you on Thirsty in the next few days, though, including book giveaways, event announcements, and yes the next issue of the mythical Draught, so stay tuned!

From The L.A. Review of Books:

"C. P. Boyko takes as probing a look into the world of psychology as any doctor might into the confused mind of a patient, and comes away with a similar diagnosis: narcissism, delusions of grandeur, flights of fancy, logorrhoea ... The author bucks current trends in fiction like invisible narrators and single-character focus, preferring instead to soar omnisciently above the human fray, until such time as he deems it necessary to dive-bomb, raptor-like, into the backstory and motivations of a particular character. Occasionally he addresses the reader directly to make a point, a satirical take on the industry he excoriates in this book: don’t worry, I’ll tell you what to think. The style, reminiscent of an earlier time in fiction when authors sometimes played God, takes some getting used to in these days of sparseness and minimalism, but once the reader understands where Boyko is coming from, then, unlike the subject of psychology, it all makes sense. And the explorations drill so deeply into this mysterious medical science that they make the effort worth the reader’s adjustment."